The Love Mystery
by journalisticartist
Summary: I do not own Scooby-Doo.
1. Chapter 1

**I published this story on Wattpad about three years ago and a lot of people seemed to like it, so I thought I would publish it on here, too. :) Also, I've had a lot of comments with swear words on Wattpad and it made me a little uncomfortable. So I would appreciate it if people didn't swear in the comments. Thank you! 3**

"Hi, Fred!"

 _Oh, no,_ Fred thought. _Not again._

"Hey, Crystal," Fred greeted nonchalantly.

Crystal sat uncomfortably close to Fred on the bench. "What are you doing sitting on the bench after school _all by yourself_?"

Fred moved to the very end of the bench. "I'm waiting for Daphne. We're going to the new trap exhibit together."

Fred and Daphne had been dating each other for three months now. Crystal was very jealous of Daphne because she had been in love with Fred for the longest time and he chose Daphne over her.

"You know," Crystal said, moving closer. "Daphne told me that she _hates_ traps. But, I don't I love everything _you_ do."

"That's nice, Crystal, but-"

Fred's words were interrupted when Crystal grabbed Fred's face and gave him a kiss on the lips. Fred was shocked. But he sort of liked it.

 _No, Fred. You have a girlfriend. Don't kiss her back._

Crystal transitioned to a French kiss. That was when Fred gave in. He kissed Crystal back. Fred didn't realize what he was doing until they pulled apart.

FRED JONES, YOU IDIOT! Fred screamed in his head.

Crystal smiled and batted her eyelashes. "How did you like that, Freddie?"

Fred frowned. "I didn't."

Fred started to walk away when Daphne ran over to him.

"Hi, Fred!" she smiled. "You ready for our date to the trap exhibit?"

"You bet," Fred looked over his shoulder. "The sooner we leave, the better."

Daphne looked over Fred's shoulder, but didn't know what he was looking at. Crystal had just walked away. "Fred, is something wrong? You're acting all... I don't know. Weird."

"I'm fine, Daphne," Fred lied as he put his arm around Daphne. "Let's just go."

As they walked off, Crystal had been listening to their entire conversation behind a tree. She smiled to herself. Her plan was working.

* * *

The next day, it was Daphne's turn to wait for Fred after school. He said he had something to give her. Probably another one of his trap scrapbooks.

Daphne sighed. "All he cares about is traps," she said to herself. She sighed again, but this time romantically. "But I love him."

"Hey, Daphne." Daphne saw Velma walking in her direction.

"Oh, hey, Velm. What's up?"

Velma sat next to Daphne on the bench. She had something to say and she wasn't going to sugar code it. "Do you remember Jason?"

"From the Junior Robotics Club?" Daphne asked.

Velma nodded. "That's him. Yesterday he sent me a picture. And I think I should show it to you."

"What is it?"

"One word" Crystal." Velma showed Daphne the picture on her phone.

Daphne gasped. Crystal was kissing Fred. Not only that, but Fred was kissing her back!

Daphne's eyes filled with tears. "Why would Freddie do this?"

"I'm not sure," Velma responded truthfully. "But we'll figure this out. I'm sure it's just out of context."

"But, Velma," Daphne argued. "He's kissing her back! That doesn't seem like it's out of context to me!"

Velma looked closer. Daphne was right. Fred had cheated on Daphne. "Oh, no he didn't!"

"Hey, Daphne!" Fred walked over to the frowning Velma and Daphne. "I got you something. Ta-da!" He held out, just as Daphne had suspected, another trap scrapbook.

 _That's_ _it._ Daphne thought.

Daphne stood and was now two inches away from Fred's face.

"Why don't you just give it to Crystal?!" she shouted.

Velma knew that drama was about to start, and as much as she wanted to help and support Daphne, she knew that it'd be best if she left the two alone; which is exactly what she did.

Fred was dumbfounded. "What?"

"I mean, it's obvious that you'd rather be with her than me!"

"What are you talking about, Daphne?"

"You're a terrible liar, Fred! I know you kissed Crystal!"

"But, Daphne, I-"

"Save it for one of your traps!" Daphne snapped.

Daphne took the scrapbook out of Fred's hands and hit his head so hard it caused him to fall on the sidewalk. Daphne spun on her heel and started walking away.

"I never wanna see you again, FRED JONES! WE'RE OVER!" Daphne shouted as she stormed off.

Fred stood up and picked up his scrapbook. He flipped through some of the pages sadly. Fred felt a hand on his shoulder. A female's hand.

"Are you all right, Fred?" It was Crystal's voice.

Fred turned around to face her. "No, I'm not all right. You just ruined my relationship with Daphne!" Fred began showing Crystal traps he invented in the scrapbook. "We were gonna use this one for vampires in old, abandoned castles! And _this_ one for ghosts in the basement! And after we graduated, I was gonna have her accidentally activate _this_ trap. She would trap me and I would say that she's captured my heart and then I'd ask to marry me so we'd make traps for the rest of our lives!"

Crystal tried to avoid talking about it by pretending Fred got a black eye when Daphne hit him with the book.

"Oh, Freddie, your eye. Did Daphne do that to you? That must really hurt. _I'd_ never do that to you, Fred." Crystal smiled innocently.

Fred closed the book. "Listen, lady! I don't know who you think you are, but you better-"

Crystal kissed Fred one more time. Fred wasn't mad anymore. Fred was happy. He was in love. Who did he love? Oh, that's right. He loved Crystal. After he pulled apart from the most amazing kiss of his life, Fred smiled.

"Crystal, you're so perfect. I love you."

Fred ran his fingers through Crystal's long brown hair and looked deeply into her hazel eyes.

Crystal sighed. "Oh, Freddie. I love you, too."

 **I'll admit, it isn't the greatest first chapter. But, I took me almost three years to write this, so my writing skills have grown over the course of this story. Well, that's all for now. I hope to see you on the next chapter!**

 **-Savvy**


	2. Chapter 2

It was a dreary Saturday morning. At least to Daphne it was. She was starting to regret ever breaking up with Fred. Their breakup was only yesterday and she was already miserable. She was so lonely.

Daphne got out of bed for the first time that morning when she walked over to her desk to check her phone. Not a word from Fred. No explanation. Not even an apology. Fred had forgotten about her already. He really did love Crystal.

Daphne sighed, disappointed, but her face lit up when she felt her phone vibrate.

"Freddie!" Daphne cried out with joy.

To her dismay, it wasn't who she thought it was. It was only Shaggy.

Daphne sat on her bed and sighed. The only person Daphne really wanted to talk to was Fred. But she didn't want to seem rude. So she read Shaggy's text.

 **Velma told me what happened. You doing okay, Daph?**  
 **-Shaggy**

Daphne smiled. Shaggy was the only person who called her "Daph". She always admired the relationship between herself and Shaggy. They were very close friends, since they've known each other pretty much their whole lives. They didn't have that brother-sister kind of friendship; they were much closer than that. They really got to know each other when they were looking for the thirteen ghosts of the Chest of Demons. And whenever Daphne had been kidnapped during their adventures, Shaggy and Scooby were usually the ones to find her.

Daphne responded to Shaggy's text with:

 **Yeah, Shaggy, I'm okay. It will probably just take a while for me to get over it.**  
 **-Daphne**

Shaggy soon replied with:

 **If you need anything, just let me know.**  
 **-Shaggy**

He was such a good friend.

 **Will do.**  
 **-Daphne**

Daphne was glad to have friends like Velma and Shaggy. They were very understanding and they were good listeners. So if there was ever a time she need to talk about the breakup, they were all ears.

Daphne had no idea that Shaggy had just been through a breakup of his own.

* * *

Shaggy and his dog as well as best friend Scooby-Doo were happily munching away on their popcorn for the scary movie marathon. There was one on every Saturday and Shaggy missed the last one when he was out on a date with Velma, whom he had been dating for six months.

Shaggy and Scooby were in the middle of _Zombie Island_ when there was a knock at the door. Scooby and Shaggy jumped, causing their popcorn to fly everywhere.

"I got it," Shaggy said as he walked to the door.

"And I rot the ropcorn," Scooby laughed as he picked up all the popcorn and dumped it all in his mouth. "Rive recond rule!"

Shaggy opened the front door to see his girlfriend.

"Like, hey, Velma," Shaggy said. "What's up?"

"Shaggy, how many times have I told you to quit saying 'like'? It make you sound ignorant!" Velma snapped.

 _Good to see you, too,_ Shaggy thought sarcastically.

"Like, sorry," Shaggy instantly put his hand over his mouth. "Sorry!"

"Where are the new pants I bought you?" Velma asked. "The skinny jeans? Why aren't you wearing them?"

"Do I have to?"

"You've been wearing those stupid bell bottoms since sixth grade!"

"I don't like those skinny pants," Shaggy admitted. "I can barely walk in them."

Velma was getting annoyed. "Shaggy all I want is for you to stop saying 'like' and dress like a normal person! Is that so much to ask?"

"Yeah, it is!"

"Why?"

"Because you want Mr. Perfect! And, like, that's not me! At all! Is that why you came over? To criticize me?"

"No," Velma said. "I came over because Daphne and Fred broke up yesterday, thanks to our dear 'friend' Crystal." Velma made air quotes with her fingers when saying, "friend", which only added to her sarcasm.

"Like, that's not good."

Velma clenched her fists. "Shaggy, you said it again!"

"Like, so what if I did? Why do you care?"

"Because you're my boyfriend!"

"I don't want to be your boyfriend if you're going to act this way all the time."

"Are you breaking up with me?"

"It's obvious that you don't like the way I am. And if you don't like the way I am, then this relationship isn't going to work out."

"Fine!" Velma exclaimed before storming off.

Shaggy closed the door and slid down to the floor. Shaggy just had his first breakup. Now he knew how Daphne felt. Daphne...

 _I should make sure she's okay,_ Shaggy thought as he got his phone out of his back pocket.

 **Velma told me what happened. You okay, Daph?**  
 **-Shaggy**

Shaggy stood and walked into the kitchen to get more popcorn for him and Scooby-Doo. Knowing Scooby, he probably ate all the popcorn by now. After Shaggy put the popcorn in the microwave, his phone.

 **Yeah, Shaggy, I'm okay. It will probably just take a while for me to get over it.**  
 **-Daphne**

That was understandable, considering Shaggy just found out what the pain of a breakup feels like. Even if Velma didn't always treat him very well, it still hurt to lose his girlfriend.

 **If you need anything, just let me know.**  
 **-Shaggy**

The microwave beeped and the popcorn was ready. After Shaggy filled the giant bowl, Daphne sent him another text.

 **Will do.  
-Daphne**

Shaggy sighed. Having a girlfriend was amazing. Why did he break up with Velma? Sure, she was a little demanding, but maybe Shaggy needed a little of that in his life to shape him into the person he needed to be. Both his parents worked, so they were never around to tell him what to do.

"Raggy? Are you okay?"

Scooby-Doo was standing in the doorway, a concerned look on his face.

That was when Shaggy lost it. "No! I'm not! I just lost my first girlfriend all because I didn't want to be perfect! Why couldn't I have been born perfect, Scoob? Why, why?" Shaggy dropped to his knees and started to cry. He felt a little pathetic, but he didn't care.

"Rit's okay, Raggy." Scooby gave Shaggy the best hug attempt he could do. If he were human, hugs would be much easier to give. "Rou're rerfect to me."

"I am?"

"The rerfect best friend."

Shaggy smiled. "Thanks, Scoob," he said. "Let's go watch those scary movies. And don't eat all the popcorn!"

"Rorry. Heheheh!"

* * *

During all of this, Fred and Crystal were having the time of their lives on a walk around Coolsville. Fred saw a rosebush in the front yard of a house they were walking past.

"I'll be right back, my love!" Fred said as he ran to the rosebush.

"Don't take too long, Fred!" Crystal giggled.

Fred came back with a single rose.

"Oh, Fred, it's beautiful!" Crystal gushed as she took the rose and inhaled its scent.

"Not as beautiful as you," Fred said. "I love you, Crystal."

"I love you, too, Fred," Crystal smiled, but it soon faded. "What about Daphne?"

"Daphne? Who's Daphne?"

Crystal's smile returned, brighter than before. "Oh, nobody!" she said cheerfully.

The two continued their walk. Crystal smiled mischievously. Everything was going according to plan.


	3. Chapter 3

Shaggy and Daphne had been texting every day for almost a week now. They always talked to each other in the hallways and after school. They were beginning to develop feelings for each other, but they were too afraid to tell one another.

Today was Friday, and Daphne still didn't know about Shaggy's breakup. They were about to finish their seventh hour classes. Daphne was in health and Shaggy was in history. They were watching the clock, waiting for the bell to ring so they could talk to each other. When the bell did ring, Shaggy and Daphne were out of the classrooms before anyone else.

Shaggy quickly put his history book in his locker and got his science book. He ran to Daphne's locker.

"Like, hey, Daph," Shaggy said casually, as if he weren't eager to talk to her. Shaggy noticed that Daphne looked sad. "What's wrong?"

Shaggy turned around in the direction of Daphne's gaze to see Fred and Crystal giving each other a big hug before parting to go to their last class.

"Don't let it get to you, Daphne," Shaggy said. "He doesn't deserve you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Daphne smiled. "Thanks, Shaggy."

Shaggy returned the smile and tried his absolute best to continue smiling when he saw Velma walking down the hall.

"Like, hey, Velma."

"Hey, Velma," Daphne greeted.

"Hey, Daphne," Velma smiled. "Norville." Velma said this coldly as she walked away.

"Since when is Velma not happy to see you?" Daphne asked. "I thought you two were crazy about each other."

"Well, actually, we just broke up," Shaggy explained.

"What? When was that?"

"Saturday."

"Oh, Shaggy, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It's about time you knew. I didn't tell you before because you had your own breakup to deal with. Come on, we don't want to be late for science."

Shaggy and Daphne walked to science together. Science was their new favorite class because they had it together. Sadly, they sat on opposite sides of the room. Daphne sat in the front and Shaggy sat in the back. Shaggy really wanted to hold her hand on the way to science, but then Daphne would know he liked her. Besides, Daphne loved Fred. And Shaggy was nothing like Fred.

The second bell rang as soon as Shaggy and Daphne sat down. They were almost late. Shaggy and Daphne couldn't concentrate on the lesson very well. It was something about acids. Their love was growing. That was all they could think about.

Shaggy couldn't help but stare at Daphne. She was so pretty. That was all Fred could think about. But she was so much more than that. Daphne was kind, courageous, sophisticated, enthusiastic, strong, independent, clever, selfless, and the most wonderful girl in the world.

Daphne kept thinking about Shaggy. Everyone else in the gang saw him as someone who always hungry and scared. She saw him as much more than that. He was sweet, caring, understanding, funny, sometimes brave, and the perfect man for her.

Daphne looked behind her shoulder to see Shaggy staring at her. When Shaggy saw that Daphne noticed him his face was bright red. He smiled bashfully. Daphne gave a small smile and waved at him before turning back around to continue writing notes, which were actually combinations of their names. Shaggy chuckled, and it wasn't very manly. Good thing he sat at a table by himself.

The bell finally rang and the weekend had come. Shaggy and Daphne surprisingly didn't have any homework, so they were free to talk to each other all weekend.

"Have a great weekend, everyone!" said Mr. Mornay, the science teacher.

Daphne ran to Shaggy and pulled him out of the classroom. "Come on!"

"Like, where are we going?"

"To the Malt Shop. We're going to talk about your breakup."

"That's okay, Daph," Shaggy said as they exited the building. "We don't have to."

Daphne let go of Shaggy and they stopped walking. "Shaggy, you were there for me when Fred and I broke up. Now I want to be there for you. Besides, we're going to the Malt Shop. That's where the _ice cream_ is."

"Like, you had me at 'ice cream'," Shaggy replied, causing Daphne to laugh.

The Malt Shop was two blocks away, so it wasn't that long of a walk. When they got to the Malt Shop, Shaggy held the door open for Daphne and ordered them some ice cream as Daphne sat down at a table. He got a Daphne a strawberry sundae and a banana split for himself.

"So, why did you and Velma break up?" Daphne asked.

"Well, we started off just fine. Talking a lot, hanging out, the things that couples normally do." Shaggy took a bite of his ice cream. "But, like, she started getting all demanding I couldn't eat what I wanted. Only what she wanted me to eat. Then she bought me these super tight pants that I could barely walk in. I was almost late to class every day. Then she started getting really ticked off whenever I said 'like'. It's just something I do. She said it made me sound ignorant. Like, I don't even know what that means!"

"It means it makes you sound dumb," Daphne explained before taking a bite of her sundae.

"Well, anyway, I was getting sick of her being so controlling. And then I realized that she was changing everything about because she wanted Mr. Perfect. Like, that's not me! So, I told her that if she kept trying to change me, it wasn't going to work out. The next thing I know, we're over."

"Wow," Daphne commented, "and I thought being cheated on was bad."

Shaggy sighed. "Daphne, do _you_ think I should change who I am?"

"Of course not! Your constant eating, saying 'like', bell bottom jeans- it's what makes you unique. You are who you are, Shaggy. No one, not even Velma, can change that. And if Velma can't see how amazing you are, then she doesn't deserve you. It's her loss, not yours."

Shaggy smiled. "Talking really does help. I feel so much better. Thanks, Daph."

Daphne returned the smile of the man sitting across from her. "You're welcome, Shaggy."

When Shaggy and Daphne finished their ice cream, they decided to take a walk.

"Isn't it a beautiful day?" Daphne observed.

 _Here goes nothing,_ Shaggy thought.

"Like, sure it is. But not beautiful as you."

Daphne blushed. "Shaggy..."

"I mean it, Daph. You're beautiful."

Daphne smiled. "Thank you, Shaggy."

 _Here goes nothing,_ Daphne thought.

She kissed Shaggy's cheek.

Shaggy's eyes were huge. "Like, wow..."

Daphne wasn't sure what to do. She really did it! She kissed Shaggy! Not on the lips, but she kissed him! Daphne tried her best to find some way out of this. She looked around. A theater! What luck!

"Come on," Daphne said as she began to pull Shaggy in the direction of the theater. "I heard there was a new scary movie playing and I really want to go see it! I think you'll like it. I'll pay."

While walking to the theater, Daphne heard Shaggy sigh. She totally broke him.

* * *

Shaggy and Daphne walked out of the theater. The sun had just disappeared from the sky.

"That was a great movie, wasn't it?" Daphne asked.

"Like, yeah, definitely," Shaggy replied.

It was good to finally hear Shaggy talking again. He finally started talking when there was about a third of the movie left. Daphne didn't think he would have been impacted like that.

Shaggy and Daphne decided to continue their walk and walked all the way to the beach. The full moon reflected beautifully on the water.

"Thank you for a wonderful time, Shaggy," Daphne said. "I had a lot of fun."

"So did I, Daph."

They smiled at each other. They looked into each other's eyes. They stopped walking. Time stood still. The rest of the world disappeared. It was just the two of them. They closed their eyes. Shaggy leaned forward. He'd never done this before; what better opportunity than right now? He did it slowly, giving Daphne a chance to move away. After what seemed like forever, Shaggy's lips finally touched Daphne's. Shaggy had kissed Daphne. Shaggy was surprised that Daphne didn't move away. He was even more surprised when Daphne kissed back. He thought Daphne wanted Fred and only Fred. After a few seconds, they broke apart.

"Wow..." Shaggy whispered.

"Wow..." Daphne repeated.

"That was amazing. But... I thought you loved Fred."

"All Fred ever like about me was my looks. I only dated him because... I was lonely."

"That was the same reason why I dated Velma."

"Really?" Daphne asked.

"My parents were always away," Shaggy explained. "All I had was Scooby. Although he's my pal, sometimes a talking dog isn't enough."

"I know how you feel. My parents never pay any attention to me. Always my perfect, successful older sisters. All I had was Fred. But all he cares about is traps."

"Well, Daphne, I'll see to it that you'll never feel lonely again."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I love you, Shaggy Rogers."

"I love you, Daphne Blake."

Then Shaggy and Daphne realized something. This wasn't anything like their previous relationships. They weren't dating each other because they were lonely. It was love. And not the teenage phase where you like someone for a while and then get your heart broken. Oh, no. This was much more than that. This was real.

This was true love.


	4. Chapter 4

Two fishermen Bob Jerry were exhausted from a long day's work of endless fishing, not to mention bored. The sky was pretty dark, so they'd have to go to the docks soon.

"Man, we have _got_ to get new jobs," Bob complained. "All day long it's fish, fish, fish. And for what? Just so the high school cafeteria can serve some lousy fish tacos? We never even get a thank you."

"Aww, quit your complaining," Jerry said as he threw the last net of the day into the water. "It's only another decade or so till retirement."

Bob crossed his arms and grunted. "I still think we should get new jobs."

Jerry tugged on the net, but it was really heavy. "Uh, Bob? I could use some help over here."

"It's just fish, Jerry."

"It's heavier than you think."

Bob hurried over to the net and helped Jerry pull the net up.

"I bet we caught something big," Jerry continued. "Like a shark. Or a squid. Or maybe even a-"

Jerry's words were interrupted when they pulled the net over to reveal an evil looking mermaid.

"Siren!" shouted Bob.

The siren grabbed the ropes of the net and tore it apart. She pounced on Jerry. Jerry screamed in response. The siren made a fist as if she were about to hurt him. Instead, she opened it and blew sparkly pink dust onto Jerry's face. A goofy smile crept its way into Jerry's face and he sighed romantically.

"Uh, Jerry?" Bob asked fearfully.

The siren turned to face Bob. "Don't think I've forgotten about you, dearie."

"Oh, no..." The siren jumped on top of Bob. She blew the same dust in Bob's direction. "I hate this job!" The dust landed on Bob's face and the world was gone.

* * *

Shaggy picked Daphne up for school Monday morning in his car. He figured that since the two of them might be dating now, he should start acting like a gentleman.

"Hi, Shaggy," Daphne had a big smile on her face. "Thanks for giving me a ride today."

"Like, no problem, Daph," Shaggy said as he drove away from Daphne's house. "But, like, I really miss the Mystery Machine."

"Yeah, me, too. Ever since Fred and Crystal started dating and you and Velma broke up, the gang seems to have just fallen apart. I miss solving mysteries."

"Like, me, too, Daph. Me, too. I'd give anything to be chased by a monster again."

Daphne looked at him wide-eyed. "Seriously? I never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth!"

"Me neither!" Shaggy laughed, then stopped, suddenly realizing that he needed to be serious so he could ask a serious question. "Hey, Daph, can I ask you something?"

"Anything," Daphne replied.

"Are we, like, boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

It took Daphne a moment to answer, but finally smiled and said, "Of course we are."

Shaggy couldn't help but return the smile.

At Lunch...

Daphne and Shaggy were sitting at the same table at lunch. They always sat at the same table before, but it was different this time. It used to be Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy. Now it was just the two of them. Fred and Crystal shared a table. Shaggy and Daphne weren't sure where Velma was sitting.

"It's, like, so hard to believe how much things have changed," Shaggy said. "Two weeks ago it was you, me, Fred, and Velma sitting at this table. You were dating Fred and I was dating Velma. We always solved mysteries and life was, like, perfect."

"And now Fred's dating Crystal, you and I are dating, and Velma's..." Daphne stopped. What was Velma doing nowadays? "Well, who knows what she's up to?"

Shaggy eventually left the table to get himself another liverwurst and ice cream sandwich to drown his sorrows. Daphne quietly waited for him to come back.

She heard a voice shout her name. "DAPHNE!"

Daphne jumped and yelped in surprise. "Oh, Velma, it's you! You scared me!"

"Sorry," Velma had a big smile on her face. "But I have exciting news!"

"Crystal's transferring to another school?"

"I wish. But even better!"

"Hmm... What could be better than Crystal transferring? Okay, I give. What's up?"

Velma shoved a newspaper in Daphne's face. "There was an attack last night!" she squealed.

"And that's good because...?"

"Because we have a mystery to solve!"

Daphne smiled. Apparently Velma missed the mysteries just as much as she and Shaggy did. Daphne looked at the heading.

 **Two Fishermen Attacked Missing**

Daphne began reading. According to the article, the two sailors were attacked by some sort of unknown creature. It looked like a half fish, half human animal. The creature climbed aboard the ship and screams came from the fisherman soon after. There was a bright pink light and then the boat disappeared along with the fishermen.

Daphne gave the paper back to Velma. "Sounds like a juicy one."

Velma hugged the paper. "I know!"

Shaggy returned to the table with his sandwich. "I'm back. Oh, hey, Velm-"

"Shaggy, we have a mystery!" Daphne cried.

Shaggy almost dropped his sandwich. "Like, what?"

Two fishermen were attacked by a sea creature and then they disappeared!" Velma said, shoving the newspaper in Shaggy's face just like she did with Daphne.

Shaggy read the article and a smile crept across his face. "Like, this calls for a round of liverwurst and ice cream sandwiches!"

"No, thanks," Daphne said.

At the same time, Velma said, "I'm good."

"Like, suit yourself." Shaggy took a bite of his sandwich as the girls continued to talk about the mystery. He wouldn't admit it, but Shaggy was out of his mind happy to be talking to Velma again. He was afraid that she would be rude to him like last time, but, thankfully she wasn't.

Fred and Crystal were walking in the direction of Shaggy, Daphne, and Velma's table. Only Shaggy saw Fred and Crystal, since Velma and Daphne's backs were facing them.

"Excuse me, girls," Shaggy said as he stood from the table. "I need to have a little chat with an old friend." He walked away.

Velma and Daphne were confused. They turned around to see Shaggy walking over to Crystal and Fred.

"I don't like this, Velma," Daphne said quietly.

"Me, neither," Velma replied with the same quiet volume.

Shaggy put a hand on Fred's shoulder and turned Fred around to face him. "Like, what is your problem, man? You get a new girlfriend and then forget all about your best friends? How could you forget about us? About Daphne? She doesn't deserve that! She's kind, sophisticated, independent, selfless, and, like, one of the most wonderful girls in the world!"

Daphne couldn't help but blush listening to Shaggy's kind words.

"Daphne?" Fred asked. "Who's Daphne?"

Velma's and Daphne's eyes were wide. "Huh?"

Shaggy grabbed Fred's shirt collar and pulled him over to their table. He made Fred face Daphne and pointed at her.

"This is Daphne!" he shouted. "Your ex-girlfriend! The girl you rejected for stupid traps! She'd always listen to you go on and on about them! She cared about you, Fred, and all you cared about were traps!"

"I'm sorry," Fred apologized. "But, honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about. I've never met any of you. I've never seen you before in my life." He looked at Daphne. "I'm sorry, Daphne. You do sound like a nice girl, though. And you're very pretty, too. And traps? Who in the world would be obsessed with traps?"

Fred walked away and reunited with Crystal. They walked out of the cafeteria.

Shaggy plopped back into his seat, completely shocked. "Like, what just happened?"

"Well," Velma said. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you got feisty. Go Shaggy!"

"But, what did Fred mean when he said he never met us before?" Daphne asked. "He's known us for forever!"

"Looks like the disappearance of the two fishermen isn't the only mystery here," Velma said. "We need to investigate. Tonight."

* * *

"Daphne, are you _sure_ your parents don't mind us using their _expensive_ boat to investigate the scene?" Velma asked as she leaned against the railing.

"Oh, sure," Daphne said. "We have enough money to buy ten boats twice as big as this one."

"Like, man," Shaggy exclaimed as he attempted to steer the boat. "It's gonna be hard to investigate in such a thick fog. I can't see a thing. Hey, Scoob? How's about some super Shaggy sandwiches?"

"Rokay, Raggy," Scooby bent down and opened the picnic basket he and Shaggy brought along. Scooby began singing to himself as he made two double-triple-decker sardine and marshmallow fudge sandwiches that also consisted of ham, ketchup, mustard, cheese, lettuce, sardines, marshmallows, and fudge, decorated with an olive.

Scooby ate his own sandwich before handing Shaggy his.

"Like, thanks, Scooby," Shaggy said gratefully. "Over the lips, past the gums. Look out, stomach. Here it comes."

Shaggy opened his mouth to eat the sandwich, but when he closed it there was nothing in his mouth. Shaggy looked at Scooby and saw that he had eaten his sandwich. Shaggy frowned.

Scooby just laughed. "Rooby-Roo!"

Daphne laughed but stopped once she noticed that Velma seemed a little uneasy at the moment. She walked over to her and leaned against the railing next to her.

"Velma?" she asked. "Are you upset that Shaggy and I are dating?"

"Of course not," Velma responded. "I'm very happy for you two."

"Then why do you seem so upset?"

Velma sighed. "It's just that... Those things he said about you at lunch today? He never said anything like that to me. And it's probably because I was so busy criticizing him all the time that he never got the chance to say anything at all."

Daphne frowned. She never thought about that.

"Like, I think I see something!" Shaggy said to the girls.

Daphne and Velma walked over to the bow of the ship.

"I don't see anything," Daphne said.

"But, like, I was certain I saw something."

"Shaggy," Velma said. "There's nothing out there."

The gang heard a hauntingly melodic voice singing from somewhere in the distance.

Scooby got scared and jumped into Shaggy's arms. "If there's nothing out there, then, like, what's that?"

"Reah," Scooby said. "What's rat?"

Velma stroked her chin. "Hmm... It sounds like a-"

All of a sudden, the boat jerked. It felt as if something- or someone -had slammed against it. Everyone tumbled to the side of the boat and clung to the railing.

The three teenagers and their dog saw a hand reach up and grab the railing. The creature pulled itself up and revealed itself to the gang.

"Siren!" Velma shouted.

"Hello... Mystery Incorporated."

"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed. "Like, she knows who we are?!"

Daphne, thinking quickly, looked at the tiller and pushed it forward, making the boat go maximum speed. The siren lost her grip and flew off the railing, falling into the water. Daphne stopped the boat.

"This is your first and final warning, Mystery Incorporated!" the siren shouted while pointing at them after having emerged from the water. "Leave now and never return!" The siren dove into the water and disappeared.

Shaggy set Scooby down. "Why does that siren want us to leave so badly?"

"It doesn't matter," Velma said. "We're continuing our search."

Shaggy leaned over the railing. "Like, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Daphne asked.

Shaggy pointed to where the siren had once been. "I don't want that to happen to any of us." There were scratches and dents in the metal all over the side of the boat. "I may not be the smart one, but I don't think it's a good idea to continue the search."

Velma smiled. He cared about everyone, even her. "Continue the search... _here_."

"Like, what?"

"We know what it is now," Velma explained. "There's tons of books about sirens at the Coolsville Library. We can continue researching there."

* * *

"Hey, gang!" Daphne called from her table stacked with books. "Look at this?"

Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby walked over to Daphne and looked over her shoulders at the book she was reading. It was a book on the history of Coolsville. Daphne was reading the chapter on past events. The one she had just read was about a tragic event that took place nearly a hundred years ago. The whole town had been possessed by a young woman known as Angel Goldingsmith. Goldingsmith had disguised herself as a siren and created an artificial pheromone that would cause people to lose their minds with love. Goldingsmith had never felt any love before in her life, so she forced the whole town to love her. It wasn't until a man named Micheal Graham came into town that the possession had been stopped. Shortly after he came to town, Micheal had fallen in love with Angel Goldingsmith. At first, Angel thought Michael was just another one of her zombies. But when he asked about why the villagers had been acting so strange, Angel realized that Micheal truly realized that Michael truly loved her. And for that, she loved him right back. After marrying Micheal, Angel created an antidote for the pheromone and everything went back to normal.

Shaggy pointed to the picture of Angel. "Like, is that...?"

Velma gasped. "It couldn't be..."

"Rit is!" Scooby exclaimed.

"It's Crystal!" Daphne cried. The picture of Angel Goldingsmith looked exactly like Crystal. It couldn't have been possible for them to be two different people. "All right, gang! It looks like we've got a mystery on our hands!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Like, man, Scoob!" Shaggy exclaimed as he and Scooby exited the cinema. "I can't believe you had me take you see Blue Falcon and Dynomutt two times in a row!"

"Rynorutt's my rero!" Scooby replied.

But Shaggy didn't hear him. His mind was elsewhere, focused on the young brunette walking in front of him.

"Like, there's something familiar about that girl, Scooby," Shaggy whispered whilst rubbing his chin. "We should follow her and see what she's up to."

"Rokay, Raggy."

Shaggy and Scooby tried their best to stay hidden from sight from the girl. They eventually followed her to a house on the end of 22nd Street. The girl walked to the back of the house and stopped at a door. She took out a key, unlocked the door, and disappeared into the house. Shaggy and Scooby walked toward the door, but it closed right before they could get to it and locked again.

"Like, how do we get in?"

"I got it," Scooby jammed his tail into the lock and jiggled it around until he and Shaggy heard a click.

"Good going, Scoob!"

"Ranks, Raggy."

Shaggy quietly opened the door and he and Scooby tiptoed down the flight stairs that started at the door. The stairs led down to a basement. There were two staircases in the basement. One that led to the basement from outside- the one Shaggy, Scooby, and the girl had taken- and another that led to the basement from inside the house.

Shaggy and Scooby looked around. "Like, it looks like some sort of secret lair. Let's see if we can find any clues, Scooby."

Scooby shook his head. "Ruh uh! Ruh uh!"

"Why not?"

"I don't like this place, Raggy!"

Shaggy pulled a Scooby Snack out of his pocket. "Would you do it for a Scooby Snack?"

Scooby thought about it, but shook his head. "Ruh uh."

"How about _two_ Scooby Snacks?"

"Uh... rokay!" Shaggy tossed two Scooby Snacks into Scooby's mouth and Scooby ate them in just two seconds. "Rooby-Roo!"

Shaggy and Scooby walked over to a small desk that was located in a corner in the back of the basement. On the desk were several notes and newspaper articles. But the walls were what stood out. They were decorated with pictures of the gang, pictures of Angel Goldingsmith-Graham, but most of all, pictures of Fred.

"Like, this place gives me the creeps."

"Re, roo."

Before making a move to exit the house, Shaggy saw a small piece of paper on the desk. "Like, what's this?" Shaggy picked up the paper and read it out loud. "Sirens" Evil mermaids that can look like anything and can lure people in by using love only to kill them in the end."

"What are you two doing down here?!" The brunette was at the top of the stairs from inside the house with a stern look on her face.

Shaggy gulped. "Like, leaving!"

Shaggy and Scooby ran out of the house, creating a cloud of smoke behind them.

Daphne woke up to her phone going off over and over again. She opened the messages so her phone would stop going off and so she could see who kept texting her. It was Shaggy.

 **Daphne!**

 **I have to tell you something!**

 **It's, like, really important!**

 **Scoob and I are on out way over!**

"It must be important," Daphne thought out loud. "He's freaking out!"

Daphne heard a frantic knocking at the door. She ran out of her room and down the stairs. She had to open the door before her parents woke up. When she opened the door, Shaggy and Scooby were standing there with wide eyes and were out of breath.

"Shaggy, what's wrong?" Daphne asked, concerned. Shaggy said something, but he was breathing too hard for Daphne to make it out. "What?"

"Crystal's gonna kill Fred!"

Daphne put a finger to her lips. "Shh! Shaggy, my parents are still asleep!"

Shaggy then realized that Daphne was in her pajamas. He blushed, embarrassed and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Did I, like, wake you?"

Daphne looked down. She completely forgot she was wearing pajamas. She blushed, too. "Um... yeah. But, that's okay." Daphne opened the door a little wider and stepped aside. "Come on in."

Shaggy walked inside. "Like, thanks, Daph."

Scooby followed. "Ranks, Raphne."

Daphne patted Scooby's head and smiled. "You're welcome, Scooby."

Shaggy sat down on the couch and Scooby sat by his feet.

"Wait right here," Daphne said. "I'll be back."

Daphne went up the stairs. A few minutes later, she came back down the stairs with her regular clothes on and then went to the kitchen. She came out with a large plate carrying two giant sandwiches and one normal sized sandwich.

"Here you go guys," Daphne said as she handed Shaggy a sandwich and placed another in front of Scooby. She sat down next to Shaggy, who was much more calm now that he was now that he was holding a sandwich. "Enjoy."

"Like, what's on it?" Shaggy asked.

"What you guys love: Turkey, ham, onions, pickles, relish, and mayonnaise. Oh, and chocolate syrup."

"Like, Daphne, I can't believe we didn't get together sooner," Shaggy joked.

Shaggy and Scooby began eating their sandwiches. Daphne giggled and took a bite of her ordinary ham and cheese sandwich.

"So," Daphne swallowed the bite she took. "What makes you think Crystal's going to kill Fred?"

Shaggy suddenly remembered why he came over and swallowed the bite he took. His eyes were as wide as they were when he first arrived. The scary memories of the girl's lair and thoughts of what could have happened if they hadn't left in time flooded his mind.

"Well, Scooby and I were bored so we decided to go see a movie. When we left the theater, we saw a girl that looked really familiar. I noticed that she looked really suspicious and decided to follow her. We ended up at a house that had a back door which lead to a sort of secret lair. Scooby and I found one part of the lair that had, like, a bunch of notes and newspapers sitting on a desk and pictures on the walls."

"What were the pictures of?"

"The gang and the girl we saw in that book at the library, Angel Goldingsmith. But she had pictures of Fred more than anyone else. And one of the notes said that sirens are evil mermaids that can look like anything and use love to lure people in only to, like, kill them in the end. After I saw those, the girl caught us. Like, we got out of there just in time."

"Did you see her face?" Daphne asked.

"Well... not clearly."

"Then how could you have known if it was Crystal? It could have just been someone investigating the mystery like we are."

"Like, I suppose that's true. But it really did seem like it was her."

"I'm sure it wasn't, Shaggy," Daphne reassured her boyfriend.

Shaggy sighed. "Like, I guess you're right." He stood from his spot on the couch. "Thanks for listening, Daph." Shaggy rubbed his stomach and licked his lips. "And for those amazing sandwiches."

"Reah," Scooby said, licking his lips as well. "Ranks a lot."

Daphne smiled and stood up. "You're welcome."

The three friends walked over to the door before Daphne opened the door for Shaggy and Scooby.

Shaggy held Daphne's hand and smiled. "Good night, Daphne."

Daphne blushed. "Good night, Shaggy."

Shaggy kissed Daphne's cheek and he and Scooby walked out of the house.

Daphne watched them walk down the street and disappear into the night. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face. After closing it, Daphne slid down the door and sighed. Shaggy really meant it when he promised Daphne that she would never feel lonely again. Ever since their kiss on the beach, Daphne had felt anything but lonely.

* * *

"I'm rappy for you, Raggy," Scooby said to Shaggy as they walked home.

"Happy for me?" Shaggy repeated. "Why?"

"You and Raphne are rating. You were ronrey after Relma roke up with you."

Scooby could tell Shaggy was lonely? Shaggy nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Well... uh... yeah, but, you're, like, my best buddy. I could never be lonely as long as I have you."

"Rit's okay, Raggy," the canine replied. "I understand."

Shaggy smiled. "Thanks, Scooby-Doo. You really are man's best friend."

The Next Day...

After school, Shaggy, Daphne, and Scooby were in the Malt Shop talking away. Velma, who was at the library, was going to meet them there any minute now.

"Like, thanks again for listening to what I had to say last night," Shaggy said to Daphne. "Sorry about waking you up, though."

"That's okay," Daphne replied. "I got to spend time with you and that's all that matters."

They smiled at each other lovingly and inched their faces towards each other. Before their lips could meet, Velma burst through the Malt Shop door.

"I am a genius!" she exclaimed as she sat next to Daphne. "I just came up with the perfect plan to catch the siren."

"Really?" Daphne asked. "Tell us!"

"Reah," Scooby said. "Rell us."

"So the plan is this: two of us will be fishing in a boat out in the harbor and they have to make sure the siren sees them. When she swims up to the boat they'll toss a net in the water and she'll get caught in it. The net will be pulled back up to the boat and then the boat will be taken back to the shore where the other two people will be waiting along with a policeman. There the siren will be unmasked and taken to jail."

"That's a good plan, Velma," Daphne said. "Fred would be proud."

Velma smiled. "Thanks, Daphne." She pointed at Shaggy and Scooby. "You two are going to be our bait."

Scooby shook his head. "Ruh uh! Ro way!"

Shaggy casually shrugged. "Like, okay."

Daphne and Velma were shocked. "Huh?"

"You're okay with this?" Velma asked. "You're not even going to argue with me? Or make me bribe you?"

"Nope."

"Who are you and what have you done with the real Shaggy?"

Shaggy laughed. "I'm, like, totally okay with it, Velma."

Scooby spoke up. "I still reed to re ribed."

Daphne pulled a Scooby Snack out of her purse. "H-here you go, Scooby." She tossed it in his mouth.

Scooby caught the Scooby Snack and finished it in two seconds. "Rooby-Roo!"

That Night...

So far everything was going according to plan. Shaggy and Scooby were out in the lake "fishing" in the boat, and Daphne and Velma were waiting at the docks with a policeman.

"Beautiful night, eh, Scooby?" Shaggy asked.

Scooby quivered on the floor of the boat, his teeth chattering. "R-r-reah. Reautiful."

Shaggy spoke louder so the siren could hear him. "Like, I hope the SIREN doesn't catch us out here."

"R-r-r-re, reither."

Although it was dark, Shaggy could see the shape of the siren's body coming closer towards the boat.

"Almost time, Scooby," Shaggy whispered. "Here she comes."

The fact that Shaggy wasn't scared amazed Scooby. He was usually just as scared as Scooby was. What could have possibly turned him into such a brave young man?

"Like, now, Scooby!"

Shaggy and Scooby grabbed the net and tossed it into the water. Scooby let go of the net immediately. Shaggy, however, didn't. His hand got caught in the net. The siren was in the net, but still continued to swim at full speed. She was stronger than everyone thought. She pulled Shaggy out of the boat and into the water, causing a big splash.

"Raggy!" Scooby cried. "Roh, no!"

Meanwhile, underwater, the siren broke free of the net and grabbed Shaggy by the shirt. He and Scooby forgot to put life jackets on, and right now he was starting to regret it. The siren easily pulled him further underwater and closer to him and began squeezing his neck. Shaggy grabbed at the siren's scaley hands in an attempt to pull them off his neck, but he failed. The siren continued to choke him. Shaggy's vision started to go dark.

The siren felt something hit her on the back from above. It was Scooby-Doo, coming to save his best friend. He gathered up his courage, though he had little, and dove into the water onto the siren's back.

The impact surprised the siren, causing her to lose her grip on Shaggy's neck. Shaggy floated unconscious in the water. Scooby swam over to his best friend and went under one of his arms and surfaced out of the water before swimming away. The siren surfaced a few seconds after Scooby, but decided chasing after him wasn't worth it. Scooby doggy paddled over to the docks where Daphne, Velma, and the policeman were waiting for him.

Velma and Daphne grabbed Shaggy, hoisted him onto the docks, and laid him down.

"What happened?" Velma asked Scooby, who was shaking all the water off his body.

"The riren the rot him," he explained. "She ried to rill him!"

"Shaggy, can you hear me?"

Velma and Scooby looked in the direction of the voice. It was Daphne, who was trying to see if Shaggy was okay.

" _Shaggy_ ," Daphne repeated a bit louder, " _can you hear me_?"

Velma knelt over by Shaggy's limp body. "Move over." Daphne obeyed and Velma began performing CPR on Shaggy.

The police used his radio to call for an ambulance for Shaggy. A few minutes later the ambulance showed up, but Shaggy never came to.

Tears began streaming down Daphne's face. She put a hand on Shaggy's shoulder.

"Shaggy..." she sobbed.

Then it hit her: Shaggy could be dead.

Daphne was now in hysterics. "Shaggy?!"

The paramedics came over with a gurney and lifted Shaggy onto it before rushing him into the ambulance.

Daphne cried even harder. "SHAGGY!"


	6. Chapter 6

They had been waiting for news on Shaggy for hours. Shortly after arriving to the hospital, Velma had called Shaggy's parents, who had arrived just moments ago. After being told about the accident once they had arrived, Shaggy's parents broke down momentarily. They just stood there, holding each other, crying over their only child. They were fine now, or at least as fine as they could be.

Daphne, however, wasn't so fine. She has been pacing around the waiting room ever since they had arrived at the hospital and hadn't sat down once.

"Daphne," Velma said, "I'm sure he's going to be fine."

For the first time, Daphne stopped pacing and faced Velma.

"You don't know that for sure, Velma," Daphne argued. "You might know _everything_ when it comes to geometry, rocket science, and history, but when it comes to life and death, you know _nothing_!"

Velma looked down at the floor, feeling very awkward.

Daphne sighed and looked down, ashamed of her sudden outburst. She walked over to Velma and slumped into the chair next to her.

"I'm sorry, Velma. I'm just really worried about him. He never came to at the docks and didn't show any signs of..."

"It's okay, Daphne. I get it. I'm worried, too. We all are."

"Norville Rogers?"

Daphne, Velma, Scooby, and Mr. and Mrs. Rogers all looked in the direction of the doctor that just came into the waiting room.

"That's us," Mr. Rogers said.

The doctor walked over to him. He was a tall, skinny man with straight black hair and glasses, and appeared to be in his thirties. "Are you Norville's father?"

Mr. Rogers held out his hand. "That's me."

The two shook hands. "Your son is a little banged up, but he's going to be fine."

Everyone sighed with relief. Shaggy was going to be okay.

"Is he able to have visitors?" Mrs. Rogers asked.

"Yes, he is. He's in room 242. But I'm afraid we can't allow your dog."

Scooby whimpered and looked down at the floor, incredibly disappointed that he couldn't see his best friend.

Daphne knelt beside Scooby and put her hand on his head. "Please, doctor?" she begged. "This dog is Shag... er... _Norville's_ best friend. He loves him more than just about anything. Let him see his dog. Please?"

The doctor sighed. "Oh, all right. But just this once."

Scooby smilled victoriously, wagging his tail. "Rooby-Roo!"

"Follow me," the doctor instructed them. They all followed him to room 242. The doctor put his hand on the doorknob. "Now, you're all going to have to be quiet because Norville might still be-"

"Oh, for goodness' sake!" Daphne pushed past the doctor and opened the door. "Shaggy!" Daphne ran over to her beloved boyfriend and hugged him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Ow," Shaggy whispered through his oxygen mask.

Daphne pulled away. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She hadn't noticed the bandages on Shaggy's neck from when the siren had chocked him.

Shaggy smiled. "Like, it's okay, Daph. We all know I've had much worse injuries than this. Can't think of any right now, but..."

Daphne put her hands on Shaggy's shoulders and her head on his chest. Her eyes filled with tears. "I thought you had died back at the docks."

Shaggy comfortingly rubbed Daphne's back. "It's okay, Daph. I'm okay."

When Daphne stepped away, Scooby-Doo jumped onto his best friend, exclaiming, "Raggy!" before he started licking Shaggy's face.

Shaggy laughed. "Hey, Scooby!"

"How are you feeling, Norville?" the doctor asked as he, along with everyone else, came in.

"Like, I'm just fine, doc," Shaggy replied.

The doctor pushed his glasses up his nose and brought his clipboard up to his face. "No dizziness, nausea, anything like that?"

Shaggy shook his head. "Nope."

The doctor nodded and jotted something down on his clipboard. "You seem to be in pretty good shape, considering your situation." He observed the state of Shaggy's heartbeat and lungs with his stethoscope, instructing him to take a few deep breaths. The doctor looked Shaggy in the eye as he removed the oxygen mask he no longer needed. "You're very lucky. We'll keep you overnight, just for observation. If you're still feeling fine in the morning, we'll let you go home." He then left the room, leaving the group alone.

Everyone began to rejoice about the fact that Shaggy was in such good condition, but Shaggy himself didn't pay a bit of attention to those around them. He was too focused on his ex girlfriend, who was standing in the corner of the room, looking glumly at the floor.

Shaggy leaned over to his dad. "Like, Dad, can I talk to Velma alone for a second?"

His father nodded. "Of course, son."

Mr. Rogers gave the signal for everyone else to leave and they all followed him out, including Velma, who didn't know that Shaggy had wanted to talk to her.

"No," Shaggy stopped her, "you stay, Velma. I need to talk to you."

Velma slowly walked over to the bed Shaggy was laying in. Her former boyfriend smiled warmly and patted the spot next to him, inviting her to sit there. She did, but couldn't look him in the eye. Instead, Velma just played with a loose thread on her carrot orange sweater.

"Like, what's on your mind, Velm?"

Velma nearly cracked a smile at the old nickname Shaggy had given her during the days of their relationship, but simply sighed instead. "This is all my fault."

Shaggy raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean _your fault_?"

"If I hadn't forced you to be bait for the trap, you wouldn't have been in that accident."

"Aw, come on, Velma. We all know that I'm, like, accident prone. Something like this was bound to happen."

"That may be true, but you shouldn't have ended up in the hospital."

Shaggy simply shrugged. "Eh. A trip to the hospital would have happened sooner or later."

Velma finally looked at Shaggy. "How could you possibly keep being so nice to me, Shaggy? I've been so awful to you. When we were dating, I kept trying to change everything about you. And now you're in the hospital because of my stupid plan to try and catch the siren." Velma began crying in spite of herself, something she does not do often.

Shaggy put an arm around Velma's shoulders. Because I forgave you."

Velma sniffed and wiped away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. "You... you did?"

Shaggy nodded. "I did. You may not be my girlfriend anymore, but you're still my friend. I've known you for a long time, Velma. I'm not going to let a breakup throw all that away."

Velma smiled. "Thanks, Shaggy."

Shaggy returned Velma's smile. "You're welcome."

The Next Day...

Turns out, Shaggy wasn't, as he had said, "just fine." Nearly drowning caused him to get hypothermia. Despite that, he still really wanted to help with the mystery. Not to mention was being very stubborn about it.

Right now, Daphne, Velma, and Scooby were on their way to the beach to look for clues. Shaggy wasn't with them, but that doesn't mean that it didn't take them a lot of convincing to get Shaggy to stay home and rest.

Earlier...

 _After Shaggy's parents had informed Daphne and Velma about Shaggy's situation, Daphne picked Velma up at her house and they drove to the Norville residence to visit. When the girls had arrived, they went straight to Shaggy's room. He didn't look so good. According to his parents, Shaggy had been in bed since he came home, shivering and sleeping. He only got out of bed to throw up._

 _"Has he been like this **all** day?" Daphne asked Mr. Rogers._

 _He nodded. "It just came out of nowhere. The doctor said that they caught it before it could get worse, and that he should be fine in a couple of days." Mr. and Mrs. Rogers then left to go pick up Shaggy's medicine at the pharmacy, entrusting Shaggy in the care of his best friends._

 _Daphne looked down at her sleeping boyfriend and subconsciously ran her fingers through his shaggy brown hair. It pained Daphne and Velma seeing him like this._

 _Shaggy slowly opened his eyes. He smiled at the sight of his girlfriend and two best friends._

 _"Like, hey, girls. When did..." Shaggy took a deep breath. "...when did you get here?"_

 _"Not that long ago," Velma replied. "We wanted to see how you were feeling." She paused." How **are** you feeling?"_

 _"Like, I feel good enough to help with the mystery. Speaking of which..." Shaggy threw the blankets to the side and started walking towards the doorway. "Let's go."_

 _"No way," Daphne said, walking over to Shaggy. She put a hand on his shoulder, turning him around, and pointed at his bed. "You're going back to bed, mister."_

 _"No, I am not!" Shaggy argued. "I'm going to help you guys look for clues!"_

 _Daphne huffed. "Shaggy, I want you to know that we all love you dearly, but IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR SCRAWNY BUTT BACK IN THAT BED, I SWEAR I WILL CEMENT YOU TO IT!"_

 _Shaggy stood there, frozen, contemplating what his girlfriend had just told them. Suddenly, he ran out of his room before any of them could react. The girls and Scooby chased after him._

 _"Rop, Raggy!" Scooby cried._

 _For someone who was so sick, Shaggy could run fast. All of that running that he and Scooby had done from all of those monsters throughout the years must have given some serious benefits. Despite those benefits, Daphne and Velma caught up to Shaggy and tackled him before he could run down the stairs. Without even conversing it, Daphne grabbed Shaggy's wrists while Velma grabbed his ankles. Together, they carried him back to his bedroom._

 _"I just want to help!" Shaggy exclaimed. "Why won't you let me help?"_

 _"Because you're sick!" Velma said as she and Daphne tossed Shaggy onto the bed._

 _"But-"_

 _"You're not going and that's final," Velma declared. "You can help once you're better. We'll let you know if anything important happens."_

"We're here," Daphne announced as she pulled up to the beach and parked the car. "Where should we start looking, Velma?" No response. "Velma?"

Daphne looked at the passenger seat, but it was empty. Velma had already exited the car, and was kneeling down by the water. "Jinkies! Daphne, look at this!"

"I'm coming!" Daphne got out of the car and opened the backseat door. "Come on, Scooby."

"Ruh-uh! Ruh-uh!" Scooby shook his head. "Ris race rives me the reeps,"

"It gives all of us the creeps, Scooby." After Shaggy had been attacked by the siren, the mere presence of Coolsville Beach sent a chill down everyone's spine. Daphne thought for a moment. "Would you do it for a Scooby Snack?"

"Uh... rokay!" Daphne got a Scooby Snack out of her purse and tossed it in his mouth. "Rooby-Roo!"

Scooby and Daphne walked over to Velma. She was holding up a small object that was shining in the moonlight, no bigger than a thumbnail, that she saw in the sand near the water.

"Is that a scale?" Daphne asked.

"No," Velma replied. "It's iridescent."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that this scale is fake. And so is our siren."

Scooby looked out at the water as Daphne and Velma continued to talk about the fake scale. Although it was dark, Scooby could have sworn he saw a dorsal fin coming towards them. Scooby started to cower, whimpering.

Daphne looked over at the Great Dane. "What's the matter with you, Scooby-Doo?"

But Scooby didn't have time to answer.

"I warned you, Mystery Incorporated!" a voice rang out through the darkness, causing everyone to jump. "You didn't listen. I nearly killed one of your friends. You still chose not to listen. Now I'm going to finish you all off, one by one by one!"

"Okay," Velma said, "new plan."

Daphne looked at her. "And that is?"

"Run!"

Scooby and Daphne did as they were told and started to run, their feet loudly pounding on the docks that led to Daphne's car. Velma was right behind them, occasionally looking over her shoulder to make sure the siren wasn't getting close. As she looked over her shoulder for the fifth time, she tripped and fell to the ground, causing her glasses to fall off of her face.

"My glasses!" Velma cried. "Not again! Not now"

Since Velma couldn't see a thing without her glasses, she didn't see a pair of glowing purple eyes appear in the shadows behind her. Just as she grabbed her glasses, she felt two slimy, scaly hands grab her shoulders. She put her glasses on and turned around to be face to face with the siren.

"Jinkies!"

Scooby and Daphne froze in their tracks. They quickly turned around to see that Velma was gone.

* * *

Daphne was surprised to see Shaggy answer the door. He looked much better now, after a full day's rest. Not one hundred percent better, since it would take a few days for him to get over it, but better.

"Hey, Daph," he said. "Did you find anything?"

"We found a fake scale, which means the siren is fake."

"Like, wow! Good find, Daphne!"

"Actually, Velma found it."

Shaggy looked around. "Like, where is she, anyway?"

Daphne took a deep breath. "Shaggy, I have to tell you something..."


End file.
